I thought this weekend some of the short dropouts were ridiculous. Most of Sydney is having record rainfall so why not kick it as long as possible, aiming for 2 possible benefits:
- In the wet weather the receiving team is more likely to knock on retrieving the ball. With the short kick both teams are at risk of knocking on
- if you kick it down past halfway, in the difficult conditions the ball-receiving team may not survive a full set without losing the ball in a tackle. You might regain the ball 40m out from your line, as opposed to regaining it 10m out from a short kick.
The other tactic I would pursue more often is don't try to catch the short kick. Aim as close as possible to the sideline, let the opponent catch it then tackle them across the line.
If the short kick is such a brilliant tactic then why aren't teams using it for restarts from halfway?